Saturday 10 May

Did 3 hours of gardening in the morning (bringing and spreading top soil, planting seeds, mulching and watering).

Did a long walk in the afternoon (2 hours), with short runs on Malabar beach and climbing steep hill.

Exercises:

- did extensive rice exercise: transferred 2 kilos of rice from one bowl to another, four times; this involved grabbing the rice tightly into my fist (so that none would fall down) and opening the fist quickly to let the rice fall.

- massage and forced wrist extension (with other hand): once

- shoulder exercises: once, quite painful but I could lift my right hand a bit more in my back and still push away from the wall. These exercises make me feel that I am reconnecting with my right arm and shoulder, this is a good feeling, at last I am regaining a bit of control…

- reps with 500g weight over edge of table, felt OK; did quite a lot of reps.

My scar is still quite red and painful though. Am wondering if it is infected.

Friday 9 May

My scar has been sore and quite red for the last 2 days. Had a physio session today. Florence, the physiotherapist, thinks there may be an infection under the scar. Will have to kep an eye on it.

My wrist extension measurement was not better so the exercises I did during the week do not seem to have helped. I tell Florence that I really want to regain more extension, that my current extensin level is not acceptable to me, there are quite a number of movements I cannot do with the current extension.

Florence gives me a series of exercises to work on the extension and flexion and regain strength and flexibility in my arm muscles and shoulder.

2 hourly sequence:

1) apply heat

2) massage

3) wrist extension stretches (with other hand)

4) ROM X’s

Three times a day:

1) shoulder exercises

- hands on hips, press down, feel stretch in between shoulders

- standing against a wall, place hand behind back at the height where it can push the body away from the wall

2) with a 500 g weight: forearm on table, hand hanging beyond table edge, wrist extension upwards then slow and controlled descent